Influence of different catilever extensions and glass or polyamaramid reinforcement fibers on fracture strength of implant-supported temporary

In long-term oral rehabilitation treatments, resistance of provisional crowns is a very important factor, especially in cases of an extensive edentulous distal space. The aim of this laboratorial study was to evaluate an acrylic resin cantilever-type prosthesis regarding the flexural strength of its in-balance portion as a function of its extension variation and reinforcement by two types of fibers (glass and polyaramid), considering that literature is not conclusive on this subject. Each specimen was composed by 3 total crowns at its mesial portion, each one attached to an implant component (abutment), while the distal portion (cantilever) had two crowns. Each specimen was constructed by injecting acrylic resin into a two-part silicone matrix placed on a metallic base. In each specimen, the crowns were fabricated with either acrylic resin (control group) or acrylic resin reinforced by glass (Fibrante, Angelus) or polyaramide (Kevlar 49, Du Pont) fibers. Compression load was applied on the cantilever, in a point located 7, 14 or 21 mm from the distal surface of the nearest crown with abutment, to simulate different extensions. The specimen was fixed on the metallic base and the force was applied until fracture in a universal test machine. Each one of the 9 sub-groups was composed by 10 specimens. Flexural strength means (in kgf) for the distances of 7, 14 and 21 mm were, respectively, 28.07, 8.27 and 6.39 for control group, 31.89, 9.18 and 5.16 for Kevlar 49 and 30.90, 9.31 and 6.86 for Fibrante. Data analysis ANOVA showed statistically significant difference (p<0.05) only regarding cantilever extension. Tukey's test detected significantly higher flexural strength for the 7 mm-distance, followed by 14 and 21 mm. Fracture was complete only on specimens of non-reinforced groups

The radio spectral energy distribution of infrared-faint radio sources

Context.Infrared-faint radio sources (IFRS) are a class of radio-loud (RL) active galactic nuclei (AGN) at high redshifts (z ≥ 1.7) that are characterised by their relative infrared faintness, resulting in enormous radio-to-infrared flux density ratios of up to several thousand. Aims. Because of their optical and infrared faintness, it is very challenging to study IFRS at these wavelengths. However, IFRS are relatively bright in the radio regime with 1.4 GHz flux densities of a few to a few tens of mJy. Therefore, the radio regime is the most promising wavelength regime in which to constrain their nature. We aim to test the hypothesis that IFRS are young AGN, particularly GHz peaked-spectrum (GPS) and compact steep-spectrum (CSS) sources that have a low frequency turnover. Methods. We use the rich radio data set available for the Australia Telescope Large Area Survey fields, covering the frequency range between 150 MHz and 34 GHz with up to 19 wavebands from different telescopes, and build radio spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for 34 IFRS. We then study the radio properties of this class of object with respect to turnover, spectral index, and behaviour towards higher frequencies. We also present the highest-frequency radio observations of an IFRS, observed with the Plateau de Bure Interferometer at 105 GHz, and model the multi-wavelength and radio-far-infrared SED of this source. Results. We find IFRS usually follow single power laws down to observed frequencies of around 150 MHz. Mostly, the radio SEDs are steep (α < −0.8; 74+6-9%), but we also find ultra-steep SEDs (α < −1.3; 6+7-2%). In particular, IFRS show statistically significantly steeper radio SEDs than the broader RL AGN population. Our analysis reveals that the fractions of GPS and CSS sources in the population of IFRS are consistent with the fractions in the broader RL AGN population. We find that at least 18+8-5% of IFRS contain young AGN, although the fraction might be significantly higher as suggested by the steep SEDs and the compact morphology of IFRS. The detailed multi-wavelength SED modelling of one IFRS shows that it is different from ordinary AGN, although it is consistent with a composite starburst-AGN model with a star formation rate of 170 M⊙ yr-1

Neuroprotection by Acetyl-l-Carnitine after Traumatic Injury to the Immature Rat Brain

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in children and is characterized by reduced aerobic cerebral energy metabolism early after injury, possibly due to impaired activity of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. Exogenous acetyl-l-carnitine (ALCAR) is metabolized in the brain to acetyl coenzyme A and subsequently enters the tricarboxylic acid cycle. ALCAR administration is neuroprotective in animal models of cerebral ischemia and spinal cord injury, but has not been tested for TBI. This study tested the hypothesis that treatment with ALCAR during the first 24 h following TBI in immature rats improves neurologic outcome and reduces cortical lesion volume. Postnatal day 21–22 male rats were isoflurane anesthetized and used in a controlled cortical impact model of TBI to the left parietal cortex. At 1, 4, 12 and 23 h after injury, rats received ALCAR (100 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) or drug vehicle (normal saline). On days 3–7 after surgery, behavior was assessed using beam walking and novel object recognition tests. On day 7, rats were transcardially perfused and brains were harvested for histological assessment of cortical lesion volume, using stereology. Injured animals displayed a significant increase in foot slips compared to sham-operated rats (6 ± 1 SEM vs. 2 ± 0.2 on day 3 after trauma; n = 7; p < 0.05). The ALCAR-treated rats were not different from shams and had fewer foot slips compared to vehicle-treated animals (2 ± 0.4; n = 7; p< 0.05). The frequency of investigating a novel object for saline-treated TBI animals was reduced compared to shams (45 ± 5% vs. 65 ± 10%; n = 7; p < 0.05), whereas the frequency of investigation for TBI rats treated with ALCAR was not significantly different from that of shams but significantly higher than that of saline-treated TBI rats (68 ± 7; p < 0.05). The left parietal cortical lesion volume, expressed as a percentage of the volume of tissue in the right hemisphere, was significantly smaller in ALCAR-treated than in vehicle-treated TBI rats (14 ± 5% vs. 28 ± 6%; p < 0.05). We conclude that treatment with ALCAR during the first 24 h after TBI improves behavioral outcomes and reduces brain lesion volume in immature rats within the first 7 days after injury